


A Little Less Lonely

by aretia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Grooming, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 23:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11724798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aretia/pseuds/aretia
Summary: Shiro helps Ulaz feel at home.





	A Little Less Lonely

**Author's Note:**

> My gift for ashacrone on Tumblr for the Galra Mini Exchange!

Shiro was sitting on the couch, glancing between the stars outside the window and a constellation chart on a tablet that Coran had given him. Stargazing was his preferred alternative to sleeping on those nights when he felt overwhelmed. Learning the stars made space feel more familiar, safe, almost like home.

Shiro briefly looked up from his tablet when he heard the door slide open. Even at the late hour, it didn’t surprise him when Ulaz walked in. Ulaz was prone to insomnia too, and since he and Shiro had gotten involved, this had also become Ulaz’s favorite way to spend the sleepless nights. Ulaz took a seat on the couch a few feet from him. They sat there for several minutes, enjoying the stars and the silence and each other’s quiet company.

Then, Ulaz slid closer to Shiro on the couch. Shiro was caught off guard when Ulaz wrapped his arm around his shoulders and nuzzled his cheek on top of Shiro’s hair. Ulaz was usually sparing with his physical affection, even when they were alone. He had gotten better about receiving affection over the course of their relationship, but he rarely initiated it, and he still tensed up a little every time Shiro went to give him a hug. So Shiro was surprised, but not uncomfortable. Shiro welcomed the touch and leaned into Ulaz’s side.

Then, Shiro felt something wet press against his temple. Ulaz’s rough tongue ran up to his hairline, smoothing back a strand of his bangs.

Shiro was so startled that he accidentally threw the tablet off of his lap and onto the floor. He pulled back from Ulaz and playfully shoved him away by the shoulder. “Ew, gross! What did you do that for?” Shiro said with a laugh, wiping the saliva from his forehead.

The expression that crossed Ulaz’s face looked hurt. His eyebrows shot up for a second, then knitted as he looked away. He scooted away from Shiro and hunched over with his elbows on his knees, lidded eyes staring at the floor. 

The grin dropped from Shiro’s face. “Ulaz? Did I offend you?” Shiro asked, his voice softened with concern.

“I should ask you the same,” Ulaz murmured.

“No, no, you didn’t,” Shiro hastily assured him. When Ulaz still didn’t say anything, Shiro started rambling nervously. “I was just startled. It was weird, for sure, and a little gross, but I didn’t mind it. It’s just not a thing that… humans… do, usually. I guess it’s a Galra thing?”

“Yes,” Ulaz said finally. He liked to talk about Galra behaviors and customs, so that snapped him out of his silent brooding. “Grooming is a Galra bonding practice, usually done among families, parents and children… or occasionally mates.”

Shiro blushed at the mention of mates. Even after they had been together for months, Shiro couldn’t get used to Ulaz using such a formal term for him. He turned his face away to hide his pink cheeks as he said, “You’ve never done it before, so I was a little surprised. Any particular reason for it now?”

Ulaz sighed, “I miss home.”

Shiro’s head whipped back to look at Ulaz, who was still gazing at the ground, looking deeply embarrassed with that admission. Shiro had dealt with his fair share of homesickness since leaving for the Kerberos mission. Now that he was the leader of Voltron, his own usually took a backseat to his team’s. Comforting Lance, Hunk, and Pidge when they missed their families became a regular occurrence. Keith confided in Shiro about how he missed Earth, despite not having anyone _to_ miss, and how heartbreaking that was. Allura and Coran even shared the burden of their lost planet with him sometimes. But Ulaz too? Somehow Shiro had never thought of Ulaz being homesick, of Ulaz having a home. He felt guilty for that. 

“Your home? You mean the Blade of Marmora?” Shiro asked, even though he knew that wasn’t the answer. 

“No. My _home_ … the Galra colony where I was born,” Ulaz said, and to Shiro’s surprise, he actually opened up about it. “It was a little backwater desert planet called Rekys. I miss the way the dust smelled and the local festivals I always went to when I was a kit. I miss the cottage I grew up in and my parents…” The way Ulaz trailed off and went silent told Shiro that he was holding back tears. The raw pain in Ulaz’s voice sounded like he knew he had nothing to go home to. Without a word, Shiro tucked his arm around Ulaz’s shoulders. 

Ulaz surprised him again when he leaned over and laid his head in Shiro’s lap. 

“It’s okay, Ulaz,” Shiro said in a soothing tone. He held Ulaz close and ran his fingers through the crest of white hair on top of Ulaz’s head. “Is there anything else I can do to help you?”

Ulaz whimpered and nodded, though he didn’t say anything more.

“Hmm… If you want… Do you mind if I try licking you?” Shiro asked, face flushing again.

“If it would not make you uncomfortable,” Ulaz said, “I would rather like that, yes.”

Shiro propped up Ulaz’s head in his hand and leaned down. Hesitantly, he flicked his tongue out along Ulaz’s cheek. 

“Did I—did I do that right?” Shiro asked.

He took Ulaz’s satisfied purr as a yes.

**Author's Note:**

> Beta read by the magnificent Revasnaslan (on ao3 and tumblr), thank you as always!


End file.
